Machine for straightening metal stock.



N0. 636,9l2. Patehted Nov. l4, I899.

0. MERGENTHALER.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENING METAL STOCK.

(Application filed. May 11, 1898.)

(No Model.)

m 4% k Rm I M RN a R m In: Ncnms PEIEHS 00.. vuorourml. WASHINGTON: n. c.

tame TATES) rnie OTTMAR MERGENTHALER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE OTT. MERGENTHALER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR STRAIGHTENQNG METAL STOCK.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,912, dated November 14, 1899.

Application filed May 1 1, l 8 9 8.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTMAR MERGENTHA- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Straightening Metal Stock, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates especially to that class of straightening-machines wherein the stock IO or metal to be straightened is passed between suitably-rotated rolls under pressure.

It sometimes happens as the stock is delivered from the rolling-mills that it is not eX- actly of the thickness which may be required I 5 and that to reduce it to this required thick ness it has to be passed through an accuratelyadjusted rolling-mill, which latter operation sometimes has the efiect of slightly bending the stock in an irregular way and in many inzo stances leaves it with quite sharp bends or wrinkles in it. In order to straighten out the stock, it has been customary at this stage of the operation to pass it through astraightening-machine provided with suitably-actuated rolls, the effect of this being to partially remove the wrinkles or bends in the stock. Owing to the great pressure that is required for this operation, it will be obvious that the, rolls must possess great strength and rigidity not onlyin themselves, but in their bearings, and consequently it has been customary to provide large rolls of considerable diameter strongly and suitably journaled at their ends. In the use of the class of machines just do- 5 scribed it frequently happens that owing to the large diameter of the rolls they fail to straighten out the short bends or wrinkles previously referred to. In order to obviate the objection last named, it has been proposed to make the rolls of much smaller diameter; but in the use of such rolls an objection has arisen in the fact that owing to the great pressures to which they are subjected these smaller rolls have not sufficient rigidity to withstand the strain and that in the course of operation these rolls when journaled at their ends are either broken or bent, thereby defeating the purposes of the machine. Accordingly I have devised a form .of straightening machine provided with small rolls which in place of being journaled at their Serial No. 680,897. (No model.)

ends are supported throughout the operative length of the rolls in longitudinal bearings, thereby insuring absolute rigidity during the operation of straightening the stock.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1 is a front view of a portion of my improved straigteningrmaehine, partly in section, on the line 11 in Fig. 2. Fig/2 is a side View of a portion of my improved machine, partly in section, on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2.

The frame of the machine, P, may be of any desired form, provided only it possesses sufficient strength and rigidity to sustain the op-' erating parts. Power is transmitted from any suitable source to the band-pulley A, fast on the short shaft B, suitably journaled in the brackets P P of the frame P. Fast upon the short shaft B is the elongated pinion B, from which motion is transmitted by the gearing hereinafter described to the various rolls. Also journaled in the brackets P are the short shafts O, D, E, F, and G, (see Fig. 3,) to which are respectively attached the driven pinions O, D, E, F, and G. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the shafts C and D are so located that their respective pinions G and D mesh into'and are turned by the pinion B at the rear portion of said pinion B. The shaft G is centrally located, and the pinion G is so placed thereon that it meshes into and is turned by the front portion of the pinion B. It will be obvious from this that the pinions O, D, and G, and consequently the shafts O, D, and G, are rotated in the same direction. The shafts E and F are located over the shafts O and D, and the pinions E and F, carried thereby, are so located that they mesh into and are turned by the pinions C and D, respectively, thereby effecting a rotation of the shafts E and F in a direction opposite to that of the shafts O, D, and G.

The front of the machine is provided with a solid base-plate P, in which are formed the bearings Q Q Q for the lower rolls. These bearings are, as shown in the drawings, simply long grooves so shaped and arranged as to receive the rolls and to support and hold them firmly in position and to afford a rigid bearing for them throughout their entire operative length, thereby entirely doing away with the possibility of the rolls being bent during the operation of straightening. The plurality rolls 0 D G are arranged in a plane and are flexibly connected by the respective joints or couplings O D G2 to the shafts C D G, whereby, as previously described, the three lower rolls will be rotated in the same direction.

Located in the guideway J, formed in the bracket P of the frame P, is the sliding block or plunger J, which in effect constitutes the press proper, which imparts the necessary pressure to the rolls during the operation of .straightening. Suitably journaled to turn in the bracket P is the screw K, attached to the plunger J and provided with the wheel L,

whereby the plunger J may be moved to give the necessary pressure to the parts in the manner well understood in the art. Formed in the lower surface of the plunger J are the bearings Q Q, which are so shaped as to receive and hold the rolls E and F and to afford a continuous bearing for the rolls, whereby they are supported and held throughou t their operative length and given the required rigidity in the same manner that the lower rolls are held and supported in the bearings Q. The rolls E and F are arranged in a plane parallel to the plane of rolls 0 G3 D and are flexibly connected by the joints or connections E F respectively, to the shafts E and F, whereby they are given a direction of rotation opposite to that of the lower rolls. Also located on the base-plate I are guides H II for guiding and directing the work passed between the rolls. The rolls in each set are ararnged alternately with respect to the rolls of the opposite set.

Having described the construction and arrangement of the-various parts, their operation will be understood to proceed in the following manner: Power being imparted to the band-pulley A through the connections previously described, the lower rolls and the upper rolls will be operated in opposite directions, respectively, in such manner as to feed the work X therethrough. The desired degree of pressure or opening between the rolls is secured by adjusting the plunger J, and the work X is then introduced between the guides H II and between and through the rolls, which will remove the bends or irregularities thereform.

I have found in practice that this construction and arrangement of rolls of small diameter supported in bearings throughout their operative length overcomes all the difficulties and objections previously described as arising from the employment of rolls not supported throughout their operative length and that not only are the small wrinkles and irregularities entirely removed from the stock, but also that the rolls themselves are not bent nor broken.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of myinven tion in this application, it will be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a machine for straightening metal stock, the combination of two opposing sets of rolls, and two opposing bearing-blocks adjustable relatively, the rolls having hearings in said blocks constructed to support them throughout their operative lengths,and means for adjusting the bearing-blocks relatively, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a machine for straightening metal stock, the combination of two opposing sets of rolls, each set comprising a plurality of rolls located in a common plane, two bearingblocks in which the rolls have bearings constructed to support them throughout their operative lengths, gearing arranged to drive the several rolls of the sets, and flexible connections between said rolls and the gearing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

O'IT. MERGENTIIALER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM II. BERRY, MURRAY HANSON. 

